I couldn't believe it when I looked at the football camp schedule and they have allocated 4 hours for a football camp involving 9-12 graders. I've brought one of my sons (or two) to a camp every year since 2004 and in my opinion, if you want a rabid fan base, you start by getting the kids when they are young and bring them into bleeding burnt orange. I don't know what anyone else thinks about it but talking to parents at last years camp about the way the way the staff ran the camp, I know a lot of them aren't coming to this years camp. Mack did it right by being available and having a lot of the team available on the last day for autographs. The kids always loved it but it doesn't look like the current regime has the foggiest idea about building a fan base. I know winning will help achieve that as well but I know these camps are a huge influence on the kids.
I took my son to baseball camp with Augie. It was a blast. Was an overnight thing that he and a buddy attended. You are right, if handled the right way, very kid and parent friendly, it can make a difference.
Yup! My daughter attended a softball camp where Connie was present a total of about 15 minutes the entire camp. Fast forward two years and do you know what she learned from it? The players leading the camp taught her how to bounce her bat off the ground behind her back. That's an indication why the program in general is in shambles right now....no real leadership nor attention to details. Parents don't send kids to camp to learn tricks. I'm sure Connie thought everyone would be in awe just being on the field. My daughter will never be back. There are camps at much smaller schools that are more intense and real learning experiences.
Camps are just another ploy by almost every school to separate you from your money. I fell for it with my oldest daughter and son. It worked - I was separated from my money with essentially nothing to show for it, other than a t-shirt the kids brought home. Obviously, some are better than others. My son went to baseball camps at Baylor and Texas about 10 years ago. He actually learned something at the Baylor camp. All their coaches ran the camp and seem to make it worth the money spent. The Texas camp was a huge disappointment. Most of the "coaching" was done by players. They played games most of the time - not actual baseball games, but games just to keep the kids busy. We didn't go back.
I have watched UT Soccer Camps attended by my niece and now grandson, and despite her inability to recruit and coach, Angela Kelly actually runs a good soccer camp. The camps are basically 100% drills, but that seems to be common across the soccer community worldwide. It is a full day on the field (8 or so until 10 at night) and there is no sitting around, and she is in total control all day every day.
My boys loved the football camps with Mack, they were lineman so their camps were on the field at DKR and the skills players were at the practice fields. They ended up at other schools even though they had 3.5 GPA (but that's another gripe) but they are still die-hard Longhorn fans. And it was because of those camps, they were extremely proud to go to them and they actually learned a lot from them. Hellfire my third son even liked Charlie's camps, he had players in there helping out and he had a great time and learned a few things.
I understand your point, but I'm having a hard time giving a crap anymore. About two weeks before the softball season started I sent a season ticket inquiry about game times because last year most games started in the afternoon while I'm at work and my daughter is at school and times werent posted on the website yet. I didnt even get a response so I didnt buy. Good thing because about half the games are in the afternoon again. Unfortunately theres a reason the stadium is 90% empty every game and it has mostly nothing to do with fans not wanting to go.
I attended Mack Brown football camp back in the day and was coached by Derek Lewis. It was great! The entire camp was football practice. It was actually the best coaching I ever received in middle school or high school. Some of the pointers I received from Derek Lewis helped me be a much better football player. I left very impressed with the staff Mack Brown had assembled at the time. Hell, the second time I went I even got lightly recruited (due to the fact I could run a 4.4 40) which in and of itself was fun for someone who, other than being fast, would definitely not have done better than division iii college football. I hope Herman is not ignoring a very good recruiting tool. UT should definitely continue to offer football camps.
